Mustafa Hijri: “Our Struggle Requires Determination and Patience”

Mustafa Hijri, the leader of PDKI, visited the PDK’s Peshmerga Forces in the Zagros Mountains. In a speech, he praised the Peshmerga Forces for their determination in fighting for the liberation of the Kurdish nation, as well as for freedom, democracy and gender equality.

“The reason why the Kurdish nation has survived since the partition of Kurdistan following the First World War and the subsequent policies of denial of Kurdish national identity, assimilation and genocidal campaigns is due to national awareness and the bravery of our Peshmerga Forces,” Hijri said in his speech.

An increasing number of Kurdish women have joined PDKI’s Peshmerga Forces during the past two years and some of them have been handpicked to play leading roles. In his visit to the Peshmerga Forces, Hijri reiterated PDKI’s commitment to them and promised to do everything in his power to support them.​

“Our enemies have always tried to break the will of our people, but the continuous struggle of our people and the sacrifices of our brave Peshmerga Forces since the early 20th century have demonstrated the opposite”,Hijri said in his speech.

Hijri further stated that the willingness of Kurdistan’s Peshmerga Forces to endure extreme hardships in the mountains of Kurdistan gives the Kurdish people hope for a better future and a dignified life free from occupation.

Hijri specifically addressed the commanders of the Peshmerga Forces, emphasizing that “our struggle in pursuit of the liberation of the Kurdish nation requires determination and patience, but we are certain that we will prevail and you should know that in this historical struggle, we are all peshmerga!”​